Feature Friday with Elena

Today's interview is with Elena of a casarella. She does some great crafty stuff (like this awesome picnic basket) and is a funny blogger, to boot!

1. Fast food or pizza?

Definitely pizza.  I have vivid, early memories of crying when my parents tried to take me to McDonald's.   My children have inherited my aversion to fast food which is good (though not always convenient).

2. I notice that you live in California.  I have always wondered: is it 'special-er' there?

With apologies to all the other places, the answer is yes.  Yes it is.   And this is not an uninformed opinion.  I have lived in six other states (read more about that here: http://www.acasarella.net/2012/02/where-you-from.html) and as much as I've loved them all, California is indeed special-er.   Case in point: I spent this past weekend at my sister-in-law's house in LA.  While there, my daughters (ages 8 and 12) befriended the loveliest drag queen while walking down Larchmont Street.  She gave us her card and invited them to high tea at Biltmore.  She promised to wear, "the dress with the bustle"' for the occasion.  This stuff just never happened when we lived in Milwaukee. 

3. Tell us how you really feel about grosgrain.

I feel like it needs a new name.  Beyond that, I am pretty neutral towards this particular embellishment.

4. If you could visit anyplace for a week, where would you go?

Italy.  I am half Italian and have never been to the motherland. 

pic courtesy of Paradise in the World

5. Do you have a secret talent that doesn't involve craft materials?

I can recite the first fourteen lines of the Canterbury Tales in Middle English.  Anything after line fourteen and you're on your own.   (Have I mentioned that I used to teach English?  http://www.acasarella.net/2012/02/getting-acquainted-what-do-you-do.html)

6.  What was the last band you saw in concert?

The Doobie Brothers.  I saw them with my husband at one of his work functions.  
I know, I know, you thought they were dead.   
They're not.

7.  Sky blue or navy?

           Sky Blue. 

No, navy.

No, definitely sky blue.

8.  Have you started pinning things in preparation for your daughter's wedding?

Surprisingly, no.  But my husband does have regular nightmares about paying for two weddings so at least one of us is freaking out prematurely.

9.  Fruity drinks or hard liquor?

Actually, I don't drink.  And for the record I am neither an alcoholic nor a Mormon (<--a distinct possibility amongst craft bloggers ;)  I just don't like it.  If, however, someone were to put a gun to my head I would definitely choose a glass of sangria over a martini.

10.  Do you have a "go-to" blogger whose posts you hate to miss? 

Amy at While Wearing Heels
John & Sherry at Young House Love
Karianne at Thistlewood Farm
Linda at It all Started With Paint
Adrianne at Happy Hour Projects
Mary Beth at Cupcakes & Crinoline
Kelly at Eclectically Vintage
Heather & Vanessa at At The Picket Fence

I'm going to stop now or we could be here all day....

Kirby here:  Thanks to Elena for playing with us here at Women Who Blog!!

Everybody's welcome at the ranch! (Another feature Friday.)

Blogland is strange.
In fact, I think it's probably a lot like on-line dating--some folks are just not your cup of tea, while you find others interesting.  Some catch your eye while some turn you off. 
And there are those with whom you have an instant connection.

 

 

I would read other blogs and I would see this crazy woman commenting, so I decided to check out her space,and I knew the very first time I read Bliss' blog that we were sisters from another mother.  I mean, fercryin' outloud, she made AN EAGLES dresser!! Here's how our intense Q & A went:

 

1.  Front porch or back deck? 

Probably back deck, but of course it depends on what I'm doing on it.
 

2.  What was your favorite television show of ALL TIME? 

All time.... hmmm.... hard to pick just one since I've gone through so many eras.  Hmmm.... Oh helll Kirby, I can't pick just one!  I watched a lot of tv.  So I'll just say anything that was on in the 60's and 70's, although I have probably seen every episode of I Love Lucy 20 times.
 

3.  If you had to limit your garden to one type of flower, what would it be? 

 I think my garden is already limited to one type of flower.  Something that is no fuss, probably why I like hostas, and they do flower eventually.
 

4.  How do you REALLY feel about beadboard? 

I like white beadboard and I cannot lie,  but really what I like is board and batten.
 

5.  Gray or Taupe? 

Grape.  But not green or purple, and preferably before it turns into a raisin.
 

6.  If you could visit anyplace in the world, where would you go? 

 I enjoy the Caribbean and have never wanted to wander farther.  I have no desire to travel to other foreign countries I guess.   But I also no longer have a desire to don a bikini, so my answer might be Alaska where I can wear a parka and blubber is a food not a description.
 

7.  Diner food or fast food? 

I have had some pretty darn good diner food.  Is Taco Bell a diner?
 

8.  If you could create a sign that said anything, to hang anywhere, what would it say? 

This is a trick question because I have signs everywhere and will continue to make and put them anywhere, however I just saw one that warned solicitors to go away that I thought was funny, so I'd probably make my own version of it.  Either that or tape one on the back of some azzhole that says "Kick Me".
 

9.  Who was the best rock band of all time? 

This one is harder than the tv show question....  hmmmm.... I guess I have to say the Beatles, but I've been known to shake a leg to ACDC.
 

10. How are the ducks...and can I have them? 

Klous DIED!!!  We figure Clyde is lonely now so my daughter is going to get two baby ducks.  You can have Klous.

 

 

 

(Kirby here) Thanks, Bliss (if that is indeed your real name) for taking a few minutes to answer some of the world's toughest questions. I'm really, really glad I found you! You can get back to your ranch stuff now. 

 

 



Lessie and Minnie fix up the house

Minnie, June 23^rd

Martin,

Your sister has showed me how to work this blog and so now I am going to help her write it.  (She is none too happy about that, by the way…she doesn’t believe that my writing is up to snuff.  I patiently reminded her that I am a distinguished graduate of Appalachian State Teacher’s College, and she just needs to shut the hell up.) By the way, I will no longer apologize for using the occasional ‘hell’ or ‘damn,’ as I believe that after eighty long years on this earth, I have earned the right.

I am afraid that Corless has completely lost her mind regarding this house.  Our agreement was that she would sell her condo and we would use part of the proceeds to update this house, sell it, and move to the beach.  Myra Bumgarner’s boy, James, has assured us that this house will be worth at least four hundred thousand dollars if we fix it up.  That money, plus what’s left over from the condo, is more than enough to buy a lovely condo at the beach.  But Lessie is pinching every penny until Abraham Lincoln screams. 

She is now insisting that we undertake a great deal of the work ourselves!  I am not sure that she understands just how labor-intensive some of these updates will be.  I am eighty years old, for Heaven’s sake, and I refuse to scrape wallpaper!

Please see if you can talk some sense into her.  She received a good amount on the sale of the condo, and we won’t need to spend it all.  We should be able to pay someone to scrape wall paper.

Love,

Mother

Lessie, June 14th

Martin,
This is where you will come to check on how we’re doing here at the house.

I was so glad when John, our technology teacher, showed me how to make this blog and was shocked when he told me you could access it from Australia! Now I can put pictures up here to show you our progress on the house.

The sale of the condo went well. I was sorry to leave my next door neighbor, Shirley, but we’ll continue the tradition of our first Thursday dinner out. I am not sure who will take her to the store to do her grocery shopping, but I think she’ll manage.

I am still adjusting to retirement, but I have my hands full with mother, as you well can imagine.

Check back here every few days, as I will try to post once a week.

Love to Debbie and the children,

Lessie

Lessie, June 17^th

Of course you remember our realtor, James, who did such a wonderful job selling my condo. We had him tour mother’s house today to give us some suggestions for getting the best price.

Here are my notes, nearly verbatim:

1. Have the two oak trees removed from the front yard. I find this patently ridiculous, as it will be both incredibly costly and there is nothing wrong with the trees—they are perfectly healthy. His words were “No one wants to rake anymore.” Can you imagine anything more ridiculous? Raking is the price we pay for having beautifully mature trees!

2. Completely update the kitchens and baths. New toilets and showers and tubs, new kitchen appliances, new flooring—every single piece needs to be replaced. Honestly, I was expecting to update the appliances and countertops, but I thought we could paint the cabinets—they are solid wood, after all. And why would one replace a perfectly good toilet or bathtub? I just don’t see the sense in it.

3. Remove all the wallpaper and paint the walls a pale gray or warm beige. I can understand this—Mother’s choice to redecorate in honor of the Bicentennial leaves the home looking a little worn and tired. I am afraid that this will leave Mother feeling a little depressed, as we all had a hand in the decorating…even you attempted to help paint in 1976, despite not being able to reach the upper part of the walls.

4. Get rid of personal items. And what, may I ask, am I supposed to do with the personal items? James suggested that we rent a storage unit and hire someone to move our things there. I believe that this is risky, unless we can have some assurance that our things will be in good hands. James tells us that in order to sell the home quickly, it needs to be “depersonalized.” My counter-point is that according to the television shows Mother has been glued to, a home is supposed to reflect one’s personality. To whom should I listen?

5. Paint the exterior and put on a new roof. I can understand the necessity of a new roof, as it hasn’t been replaced since before Dad died, which was nearly seventeen years ago. I believe a new roof is a big selling point. But why in the world would someone paint brick? James says that more and more folks are asking for a painted house, as opposed to brick. He says that the red brick makes the house look old. I pointed out that the house is rather old, having been built in the middle of the last century. He said he would have his roofers and painters give us an estimate for the outside work.

As you can see, Martin, I am rather agitated by the thought of remodeling this house. I am glad I have the money from the sale of my condo to invest, as this looks to be a rather expensive undertaking.

Lessie